Daly relieved to have overcome Wexford test as Kilkenny challenge looms large

You wouldn't have said Anthony Daly was exactly delighted by the line of questioning that met him on the way to his car on Saturday night. When the first question was what positives he could take outside of the win itself, he paused to percolate a second.

“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s an eight-point win in the Leinster Championship. It’s our fourth time playing Wexford this year and we haven’t lost a game. If someone had told me that four years ago I’d have said they were gone off the rails. Whatever positives you can take out of an eight-point win, you can make up your own mind.

“I’d say we were more solid mentally. The sending off had a big bearing obviously. They had to change formation into the wind and I think the three points just before half-time were probably crucial. We were eight points up playing into the wind and we won by eight so I’d be reasonably happy. I know that the Kilkenny mentors won’t be shaking in their boots going home but sure all we can do is be the best we can be next week.”

Liam Dunne wouldn't be drawn on the incident that turned the game. Andrew Shore's early red card was a gift that Dublin were in no mind to pass up. It meant Lee Chin coming back into the half-back line and David Redmond moving into midfield, leaving Peter Kelly as Dublin's spare man. Any game plan Wexford might have had was in smoke with only eight minutes gone.

"I'm going to a bit of an Arsene Wenger here," said Dunne, "because I didn't actually see it. If I move down that end of the field I get fined so I didn't see it. I'm sure it will be shown quite a bit on TV. In fairness, Andrew said that the sun caught him and he pulled and caught your man. He's accepting it and it was Brian's decision to send him off. We'll get on with it."

Made a big difference all the same? “Of course it did. It always was going to as well, with the way they play the game. Look it, I can’t say anything bad about our fellas. They put in a performance as best they could and they were under pressure from the very start. Fair play to Dublin, they deserved their win.”